Two with yakuza links held over drug sales to Aska

Two men have been arrested for allegedly selling 100 tablets of illegal drugs including MDMA to pop singer Aska, who has been indicted on charges including stimulant use.

Tsuneyoshi Yagyu, 64, who is unemployed, and Takahiko Yasunari, 47, a senior member of an affiliate of yakuza group Sumiyoshi-kai, were arrested for allegedly selling the tablets to Aska for ¥500,000.

The sale allegedly took place in Aska’s garage on March 24,. Both men deny the charges, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

Aska, 56, whose real name is Shigeaki Miyazaki, said he got stimulants from yakuza connections, police said, adding that Aska and Yagyu had known each other for about 20 years, and Yagyu got the drugs from Yasunari at Aska’s request.

The group to which Yasunari belongs is known as “the drugstore of Shinjuku,” a shopping district in Tokyo.